Moscow to Host Russia-Iran-China Nuclear Talks

Trilateral consultations by Russia, China and Iran on the Iranian nuclear program will be held in Moscow on April 7-8, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai has said.

"A regular trilateral meeting will be held today or tomorrow in Moscow. China, Russia and Iran will discuss various aspects related to the nuclear issue, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and UN Security Council Resolution 2231," Baghai told a weekly news briefing, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

Consultations on nuclear issues involving the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, China, and Iran took place in Beijing on March 14. Following the discussions, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the parties had agreed to concentrate their efforts on finding "viable and sustainable negotiating solutions" to address Western prejudices against Iran's nuclear program, while respecting Tehran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of atomic energy, as outlined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In 2015, Iran, along with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which aimed to resolve a crisis that began in 2002 due to Western accusations of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. However, in 2018, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from the JCPOA and reinstated all US sanctions against Iran.

In response, Iran announced in 2020 that it would reduce its commitments under the JCPOA and limit access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors. Negotiations to restore the nuclear deal took place in Vienna from 2021 to 2022 but ended without a resolution. Upon returning to the White House in 2025, Trump signed an executive order to resume a policy of maximum pressure on Iran and threatened military action should Tehran refuse to agree to a new deal with Washington.

On March 7, Trump stated that he had sent a message to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing talks on the nuclear program. While Tehran rejected direct dialogue with the US, it indicated that discussions through mediators could be a possibility.

On March 30, Trump announced he would impose additional duties on Iran in two weeks if the nuclear talks failed, also threatening unprecedented bombing of Iran, if it completely rejected the deal. In response, Khamenei expressed skepticism about the likelihood of US military intervention but warned that any attempts by Washington to incite unrest in Iran would provoke a strong reaction.